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Harper Government Remains Focused on Economy in Productive Parliament

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 28, 2013) - Today, the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Member of Parliament for York-Simcoe, was joined by the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Member of Parliament for Lévis-Bellechasse to outline the Harper Government's priorities in the House of Commons.

"The Harper Government's top priority is creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for Canadian families," said Minister Van Loan. "Canadians can count on our Government to stay focused on the issues that matter most as we introduce a new Budget and move forward on important pieces of legislation."

"In the face of continued global economic uncertainty, it is important that we continue to focus on the economy and build on the best job creation record of the major developed economies," Minister Blaney remarked.

In addition to the new Budget, the Government will move forward on the following important pieces of legislation currently before Parliament:

the Enhancing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Accountability Act;

the Fair Rail Freight Service Act;

the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act;

the First Nations Financial Transparency Act;

the Increasing Offender Accountability for Victims Act;

the Northern Jobs and Growth Act; and

the Safer Witnesses Act.

"We will continue to put forward legislation to keep our streets and communities safe, including our commitment to ensure that public safety should be the paramount consideration in the decision-making process involving high-risk accused found Not Criminally Responsible on account of mental disorder," added Minister Blaney.

The Harper Government has led a productive Parliament and its record of accomplishment is clear. In this Parliament, over three quarters of the Government's bills have passed through at least one of the two Chambers, with the majority of the bills having already received Royal Assent. This includes major government initiatives like budget implementation legislation which included a small business hiring tax credit, a major tackling crime bill, and a bill providing marketing choice for western grain farmers.

"Our Government will build on our strong record of accomplishment. We expect the House of Commons will continue to operate in a productive, hard-working and orderly fashion to address the priorities of Canadian families," concluded Minister Van Loan.